Month: May 2017

Our May/June Writing Centres begin with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) challenge, and end with a written project.  The students are always eager to start, and remain engaged through the entire activity.  When their projects are done, we take a photo and clip it to their written project, so that they have a record of what they have built.

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We have been running a mock election campaign for the last 3 weeks.  Our Candidates are 5 Arctic animals: Sam, the wolf; Neevee, the Caribou; Max, the walrus; Desneiges, the polar bear; and Charlie, the raven.  The students have listened to the candidates’ speeches, and have carefully considered the characteristics that the animals presented.  

We have also been role playing (using reader’s theatre scripts), the responsibilities and duties of the officials involved in the running of an election.

We have randomly selected and filled the positions of: Chief Electoral Officer, Returning Officer; Deputy Returning Officer; and polling clerks

Identification for voting

This week each student created their own driver’s license and voter registration card…

…they weighed and measured themselves; jotted down their eye colour and gender so that they could properly fill out their driver’s license

Voting Day!!!

…at the voting table, our RO (Returning Officer), and his two polling clerks checked both pieces of identification before handing the “voters” a ballot with his initials… notice our diligent polling clerks crossing the voter names off the “List of Voters”.  Everyone took their roles seriously.  Our returning officer knew that only he and the voter could ever touch the ballot.  Privacy screens at the back round table, ensured a fair vote.  

Mrs. Aujla Helps Out!

The afternoon of voting day, Mrs. Aujla and the election officials at our school surprised us with an invitation to come up on the gym stage to watch Mrs. Aujla cast her ballot.  Mrs. Aujla generously took the students through each step of the voting process.  It was exciting to see it all happen in real time!  Unfortunately we couldn’t take any photos-privacy is very important during voting. 

The Winner!  

It was an exciting vote count as the Returning Officer opened the sealed ballot box, and revealed each ballot (to his polling clerks, officially), but to the whole “very curious” class in actual fact.  We only had one spoiled ballot, and are very proud that everyone exercised their right/responsibility to vote.  We set aside our fear of wolves, understanding that they had perhaps received an undeserved bad reputation in children’s literature, and decided to give this intelligent pack animal a chance to lead our class.  What fun!

Arctic/Inuit Inquiry:

 Blubber

 The students first tested their ability to withstand the cold ice water with their “naked” finger.  The cold made it difficult for students to keep their finger in for even 15 seconds.  Next, I encased their finger in vegetable shortening, and asked them to dip it back into the ice water.  The results? Their finger felt insulated and warm, and the students experienced first hand an important adaptation that is key to the survival of many Arctic animals, especially those that spend time in water.